Museum hosts event for local elementary school

La Sierra students from Edutainment, a communication class, and Senior Seminar in Art, and a senior capstone course for art and design students, planned a day at the World Museum of Natural History for local elementary students. The event took place on March 5 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and was planned as part of a Service-Learning component for the two classes. Beverely Rouse, teacher, and her second grade class from Lincoln Alternative Elementary, located in Corona, were invited to attend the event with their parents and siblings. According to Susan Patt, associate art professor who led the senior seminar class, over 100 people were in attendance.

Within the museum, taxidermy specimens of some of the world’s deadliest snakes, exotic animals and rarest minerals are housed behind glass. During this event, elementary students were able to receive additional info from the university students on particular specimens inside the cases. Booths were set up in Cossentine Hall, the building that houses the museum, with hands-on activities for the students to take part in. A booth had microscopes that gave the children a closer look at different minerals and a ultra-violet lamp that revealed luminescent properties in the rocks. Another booth featured a science experiment that they could conduct at home with their parents. Other booths included animals the children could touch and a hardness test that would determine which mineral had the highest hardness. An exhibit was also on display of portraits the second graders had painted of their grandparents under direction of fine art students. 

“The children loved the experiment. One student in particular asked many questions and was very interested in how it worked. Even the younger and older siblings were interested in learning more. Overall, the second graders had a great time at my booth,” said Rebecca Smith, a senior from the Edutainment class. Smith conducted a science experiment with materials the elementary students could find at home such as food coloring and cooking oil. The experiment was to see if the food coloring would mix or separate from the cooking oil. To much of the kids’ surprise, the food coloring came down in a spiral of color. 

The Edutainment students collaborated with the art and design students to design a product that would both educate and entertain the children. After weeks of brainstorming, the Edutainment students came with the idea of trading cards. It was up to the art and design students to come up with the design and printing of the cards. During the event, children received the cards after completing a scavenger hunt.

Service-Learning for the fine art students consisted of leading the second graders in art lessons on drawing portraits. Since the second grade students had recently been researching their ancestry, they used photos of their grandparents for subjects. The university students also provided the children with lessons on color temperature and primary and secondary colors. They introduced the elementary students to the artwork of iconic American pop artist Andy Warhol. The youngsters then painted the portraits of their grandparents in a Warhol style, applying what they had learned about color. "Those portrait paintings were mounted and put on exhibit in Cossentine Hall," said Patt. "Parents had opportunity to see the artwork displayed for the first time and to photograph their children by their paintings. Film students created a short film documenting the painting lesson as well as created a short introduction to the museum."

"All quarter long students of the Edutainment and Senior Seminar in Art classes worked in groups to make this event educational, entertaining and rewarding," Patt said. "Initially they researched California State Standards for second grade students so that materials produced would be age appropriate and in line with educational goals. They all spent time in the classroom assisting the teacher and observing the students. Resulting projects have included the production of trading cards featuring birds, animals and rocks and minerals in the museum collection, a map guide to the layout of the museum, video documentation of the experience, short video introduction to the museum, and portrait drawing and painting lessons."

The origins of the museum begin in Palmer Hall in 1968, where E. A. “Billy” Hankins, Ph.D., housed his personal collection. In 1971, the museum had its official opening in Cossentine Hall. During that time, the museum featured primarily birds and mammals. Currently, the museum contains birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, minerals, crystals, meteorites, and Indian artifacts.

Recently, the museum gained national recognition by being listed in the “30 Most Amazing Higher Ed Natural History Museums” list by Best Colleges Review. The list contains schools such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Humboldt State University. The La Sierra museum is notable for having one the largest collections of mineral spheres. The museum also houses over 90 percent of known species of crocodilians. The museum was also featured on a television program called “California’s Gold,” which showcased areas of interest in California.

Mary Wilson, communication department chair and Edutainment class professor said there are plans to do this event again in two years when the Edutainment class is offered again. The museum is open every Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is also available during the week for tours by special appointment.